The worst day of school bus driving I ever had: I was picking up about fifteen elementary kids most were not even as tall as a bus wheel, I made the mistake of leaving too much room between the curb and the door. I just stopped mind you my bus had a manual door so I can throw the lights and stop sign before coming to a stop just by taking the door handle just off the over center. Just when I came to a stop a car passed between me and the kids on the curb at a high rate of speed. Luckily no kids got hit, now here's the really sad part. As I was pulling away from the stop and over the radio a fellow driver Kelly started screaming for the EMT's you see he was picking up elementary and a prison guard had fallen asleep and hit him in the right rear corner of his bus and veered to the right running over his kids throwing them into the air like bowling pins. One little girl was in my son's first grade class and got broken up very badly, she recovered mostly but hearing the screaming of Kelly on the radio knowing what just happened made me cry the rest of the day.

Wifey and I and the kids are on our way home from Rochester MN taking the "scenic" route along the river and there were 5-6 short major pulls along the way I cleared most of them at 25mph and altough it was Sunday and all the convertibles had their tops down and everyone was out for a relaxing afternoon drive. The guy directly behind me in a Dodge diesel truck pulling a trailer full of, you guessed it, junk (scrap metal, corrugated roofing etc) was so close to my bumper when I looked at the reflection in the mirror he seemed to be attached! so I can't pull over and let anybody around. Keep in mind the speed limit was 55 and we are doing 65 anywhere but in the hills. Anyway the guy in the truck pulls out to pass in the double yellow zone and 4 other cars do so as well. The problem was there were a bunch of bikers coming the other way and they actually forced them off the road and gave them and us the finger as they all went by. Fast forward:

Next town main street Prescott WI and the bikers (who had turned around and passed in a civilized manner) are having a (conversation ahem...) with all the jerks who couldn't wait to....

You guessed it again... Belly up to the bar and have a few more cocktails.

All for a beer. I hope they learned a lesson, it sure looked like they were about to.

What the heck is going on in the world when people swerve and jump in front of us or cut us off just so they can sit in their Honda Civic three feet ahead of us at the next stoplight??? I thought our brains were equipped to be able to use reason as a tool when making decisions.

I've been told that the prefrontal cortex (which science says contains our ability to reason consequences to our actions) doesn't devleop fully in our skulls until our late twenties and in some folks until their mid thirties.

Changing lanes in a large vehicle in heavy traffic is actually simple if you remember one simple rule: The Law of the Biggest Bumper. This law states that he who has the biggest bumper has the right of way. Just ask any driver of a large commercial vehicle (semi truck, bus, etc) how to change lanes and he/she will tell you to turn your signal on and start to move. Traffic will speed up/slow down/move over to let you in. In very heavy traffic, when there is a line of cars, look for an opening that you can use but do not signal early because that opening will go away since everyone will mash on the throttle so they don't have to be behind you. If there is no hole, then just pick out the person to move over in front of and just do it. I can tell you that I have done this for many years in most major cities and never had any accidents this way. Now for people that like to sneak beside you when making a right turn...that's a different story. Having run over a couple cars with trailers I can tell you that you must block both lanes so that no one can get beside you (sometimes easier said than done). You have the right of way here but I always check that right side mirror last just before making that turn to avoid the idiots out there. Good Luck.

No really I don't usually change lanes that often. But I have noticed that when I signal they like to keep coming past me unless I do it NY style 1/2 blink and start coming over! (no seriously I wait at least 1 full blink first! )I have had so many times when people just keep running up beside me or slow down when I do that anymore I just wait until I have been signaling for 1-2 mins then times up, look out big bus is coming into that lane like it or not! (I get called in on to the company 3 times to 1 of any of our other drivers! & really don't care! It's especially fun when the calls are forwarded to my cell phone and I ask "Oh you must be that dumb SOB in such & such car? I usually hear a faint click and dead tone after that)

Now one other thing I have noticed lately the nicer the bus the worse the problem is! I can go out in one of our older buses that ain't a beauty queen and NOBODY challenges me, but let me be in one of the new buses and they try me all the time! (I think they think he ain't gonna take a chance on scratching that nice bus!) BK

Part of my intended marking scheme for the MCI is to put this on the rear:

<-- EL PASO EL CRUNCHO -->

That could be inserted into the bus magazine as “The Favorite Post of the Month”!

No traveling with bus unless you did your homework with a plan and always plan with what if situation gets heaver traffic on thorough way. Have a hard copy of a city map with the short dab of hi-liter color marked of all the approve exit in case you need to by pass the bumper traffic.

Never turn on the turn signal until you are steering into an opening.

The bigger the turn signal liter, the more they try to speed by and along with the followers. They usually honor yellow school buses because they think you have no load of school children in yours.

It good to have a GPS/sound and traffic reports if equips.

About the air horn…it is more effective to mount them right/front/side and aiming rear ward instead aiming forward to get their attentions. Even the hard of hearing driver like me will notice it.

I have only travel with Sojourner from Banger, Maine to California, from Michigan to Florida with just over 7000 miles in the late 1990’s. Many of you have traveled more but this what I have learned so far. Of course always to be about 6 ft but no more from the curb before making right turn and watch out for motor cycle and bike with your right trusty mirror.

Sojourn for Christ, Gerald

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http://dalesdesigns.net/names.htmPs 28 Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him

I rarely have a problem driving solo, just stay with the trucks. Generally a trucker will let you in if you are changing lanes.

My biggest problem comes with having a toad. I'm not as sure about when I have cleared the vehicle I'm passing. Even with my turn signal on, if I leave too big a hole, some fool will jump in and try to pass me on the right. They usually end up driving in the break down lane and telling me that I am number one.

Never did seem to have much trouble just turn on signal and count to 5 then move over LOL

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Savvy ponderable:A cowboy's only afraid of two things:havin' ta walk,and the love of a good woman."This posting was generated using an environmentally friendly, self contained flatulence generator, therefore no fossils or neutrons were harmed in the creation of this posting.

What is it!?!? I always wonder what they carry, whenever I see one on the highway.

God bless,

John

John that particular load is a transformer total weight 519,000 lb 25 ft wide 247 feet long and 38 total axles 242 tires three tractors the one I drive the three with up front and the 2 pushers in back 545 hp eachget abt 2.5 mpg and lots of escort vehicles.

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Savvy ponderable:A cowboy's only afraid of two things:havin' ta walk,and the love of a good woman."This posting was generated using an environmentally friendly, self contained flatulence generator, therefore no fossils or neutrons were harmed in the creation of this posting.